rubber spoon

First of all, Bluestreak, thanks for including me, but when I reviewed the Hellboy comic, it wasn't with the intention of becoming a regular. I have a small pull list and I am actually trying to shorten it. If you don't mind me acting as an interloper, I may jump in more often--I guess that's up to the regulars and and the regulars--but I anticipate breaks of two weeks of more would be routine.

I did, however, pick up this comic, so... my two cents.

The announcement of the latest Batwoman (particularly her sexual orientation) won DC an unprecedented amount of PR for a new character, but until last year's Elergy, that press release was pretty much her high point. She made appearances in Big Events and was a primary character in the Crime Bible mini, but that was about it. It didn't help that the Crime Bible was one of the worst story lines in a long, long time. Its almost like Rucka had to somehow cosmically balance off the Queen & Country storyline. If JHW hadn't been attached to Elergy, I wouldn't have bothered. It was a good thing he was, however, because Rucka gave her one of the best origins stories in a long, long time. Even the Crime Bible elements weren't (too) bad.

When this book was originally announced we were to get the same creative crew as Elergy, but Rucka decided he'd rather go back to creator owned work and left Williams holding the bag. Williams, instead of abandoning the project, brought in Star Wars comics writer W Haden Blackman as co-author and Amy Reeder as co-illustrator. This is the first Blackman comic I think I've read, but Reeder is my favourite new artist of recent years. (I haven't kept up with Xanadu, but I did check out Fool's Gold.)

On to Batwoman #0. As comics go, its important to remember that this is only a teaser. Half a comic of story, plus half a comic of preview illustrations. The story is pretty simple. Bruce Wayne is back and he is checking out the latest cape. Is Kate Kane Batwoman? Through a series of observations and ruses he deduces that she is. My first reaction was, 'couldn't he just get Barbara to hack into Kane's system and figure it out?' but we're getting something here we don't get often enough any more: the World's Greatest Detective being a detective. I don't know how the writing chores are divvied up, but I think its a promising start.

The art is fantastic. As expected. Williams is obviously doing the layouts, but Reeder's work is seamlessly blended into the whole.The two aren't an obvoius team, but it all works really well.

Overall, an 8 for the story (I liked what was there, but there wasn't much there) and a 9 for the art. That's 8.5.

rubber spoon

First of all, Bluestreak, thanks for including me, but when I reviewed the Hellboy comic, it wasn't with the intention of becoming a regular. I have a small pull list and I am actually trying to shorten it. If you don't mind me acting as an interloper, I may jump in more often--I guess that's up to the regulars and and the regulars--but I anticipate breaks of two weeks of more would be routine.

I did, however, pick up this comic, so... my two cents.

The announcement of the latest Batwoman (particularly her sexual orientation) won DC an unprecedented amount of PR for a new character, but until last year's Elergy, that press release was pretty much her high point. She made appearances in Big Events and was a primary character in the Crime Bible mini, but that was about it. It didn't help that the Crime Bible was one of the worst story lines in a long, long time. Its almost like Rucka had to somehow cosmically balance off the Queen & Country storyline. If JHW hadn't been attached to Elergy, I wouldn't have bothered. It was a good thing he was, however, because Rucka gave her one of the best origins stories in a long, long time. Even the Crime Bible elements weren't (too) bad.

When this book was originally announced we were to get the same creative crew as Elergy, but Rucka decided he'd rather go back to creator owned work and left Williams holding the bag. Williams, instead of abandoning the project, brought in Star Wars comics writer W Haden Blackman as co-author and Amy Reeder as co-illustrator. This is the first Blackman comic I think I've read, but Reeder is my favourite new artist of recent years. (I haven't kept up with Xanadu, but I did check out Fool's Gold.)

On to Batwoman #0. As comics go, its important to remember that this is only a teaser. Half a comic of story, plus half a comic of preview illustrations. The story is pretty simple. Bruce Wayne is back and he is checking out the latest cape. Is Kate Kane Batwoman? Through a series of observations and ruses he deduces that she is. My first reaction was, 'couldn't he just get Barbara to hack into Kane's system and figure it out?' but we're getting something here we don't get often enough any more: the World's Greatest Detective being a detective. I don't know how the writing chores are divvied up, but I think its a promising start.

The art is fantastic. As expected. Williams is obviously doing the layouts, but Reeder's work is seamlessly blended into the whole.The two aren't an obvoius team, but it all works really well.

Overall, an 8 for the story (I liked what was there, but there wasn't much there) and a 9 for the art. That's 8.5.

Garbage Collector

Batwoman gets her own title free of the Detective Comics banner and I for one could not be happier. Greg Rucka is no longer writing the character that he defined in a most unique way, but the writing task falls to the artist from the Detective Comics run; J H Williams and judging by the first issue, Batwoman could not be in safer hands. In this issue Batman observes and asseses Batgirl as he comes to a conclusion of her civilian identity. J H Williams uses his usual individual style of storytelling as he gives us two separate storylines, one as Batman watches as she fights a religious cult on the docks and the second as he follows her in various disguises trying to determine her civilian identity.

While this issue does a great job of introducing or reintroducing Batwoman to readers, I feel like this could have been included in an oversized first issue. The other downfall of this issue is that it is told entirely from Batman’s perspective; I can understand why this was done. But to give new readers a better grasp on what’s to come and the entire feel of the book, at least some of the book could have benefited from being told from Batwoman’s perspective.

Any small doubts aside this is a very strong start for Batwoman and her new ongoing title. To say I was a little sceptical about the artist taking on writing duties is taking it lightly. But I was pleasantly surprised as the look; feel and tone of the book remain the same. Williams shows he has a solid grasp on the character just as Rucka did before him and shows how Kate Kane as Batwoman stands out on her own as a member of the extended Bat Family. If J H Williams can bring the story now I am definitely in for the long haul.

Garbage Collector

Batwoman gets her own title free of the Detective Comics banner and I for one could not be happier. Greg Rucka is no longer writing the character that he defined in a most unique way, but the writing task falls to the artist from the Detective Comics run; J H Williams and judging by the first issue, Batwoman could not be in safer hands. In this issue Batman observes and asseses Batgirl as he comes to a conclusion of her civilian identity. J H Williams uses his usual individual style of storytelling as he gives us two separate storylines, one as Batman watches as she fights a religious cult on the docks and the second as he follows her in various disguises trying to determine her civilian identity.

While this issue does a great job of introducing or reintroducing Batwoman to readers, I feel like this could have been included in an oversized first issue. The other downfall of this issue is that it is told entirely from Batman’s perspective; I can understand why this was done. But to give new readers a better grasp on what’s to come and the entire feel of the book, at least some of the book could have benefited from being told from Batwoman’s perspective.

Any small doubts aside this is a very strong start for Batwoman and her new ongoing title. To say I was a little sceptical about the artist taking on writing duties is taking it lightly. But I was pleasantly surprised as the look; feel and tone of the book remain the same. Williams shows he has a solid grasp on the character just as Rucka did before him and shows how Kate Kane as Batwoman stands out on her own as a member of the extended Bat Family. If J H Williams can bring the story now I am definitely in for the long haul.

Garbage Collector

David Bird wrote:First of all, Bluestreak, thanks for including me, but when I reviewed the Hellboy comic, it wasn't with the intention of becoming a regular. I have a small pull list and I am actually trying to shorten it. If you don't mind me acting as an interloper, I may jump in more often--I guess that's up to the regulars and and the regulars--but I anticipate breaks of two weeks of more would be routine.

I did, however, pick up this comic, so... my two cents.

This is pretty much the story with me to, I get my monthly comics from Mailorder Comics, and living in Australia I get my box about a week later than everyone else as it is. I'll definitely post reviews when I can, hopefully thats okay

Garbage Collector

David Bird wrote:First of all, Bluestreak, thanks for including me, but when I reviewed the Hellboy comic, it wasn't with the intention of becoming a regular. I have a small pull list and I am actually trying to shorten it. If you don't mind me acting as an interloper, I may jump in more often--I guess that's up to the regulars and and the regulars--but I anticipate breaks of two weeks of more would be routine.

I did, however, pick up this comic, so... my two cents.

This is pretty much the story with me to, I get my monthly comics from Mailorder Comics, and living in Australia I get my box about a week later than everyone else as it is. I'll definitely post reviews when I can, hopefully thats okay

Garbage Collector

BlueStreak wrote:No worries, guys. 1) You only need to post reviews once every four weeks to maintain good standing. And 2) There's no time limit on reviews. So even if you get your comics late, it's all good.

Garbage Collector

BlueStreak wrote:No worries, guys. 1) You only need to post reviews once every four weeks to maintain good standing. And 2) There's no time limit on reviews. So even if you get your comics late, it's all good.

Staff Writer

Trapped at a crossroads, what does the future hold for the most controversial Superhero today? If one thing is for certain, that future will be damn interesting!

For her short lifetime, Kate Kane has accomplished something that most characters take decades to do, and that’s having the ability to get people to talk about her whenever she is mentioned. In an industry that can sometimes be far too Oligopolistic for its own good, coupled by a dwindling fan base that is more closed minded to new things than it has ever been, new characters (and even different takes on older ones) sometimes have an impossible mountain to climb in even gaining acceptance. The outlook becomes even bleaker when one takes a look at recent sales charts and reads forums to gain a pulse about the thoughts and buying trends of the current fan base. When you take all of that into account, the current Batwoman has done something pretty cool by transcending the odds and actually not just gaining a decent following, but enough social penetration to have people talk about her whenever she’s bought up in discussion. However, if there was ever a character who ever fell into the saying “Talk to a thousand people, and you will get a thousand different opinions”, it would be Kate Kane for a number of reasons, especially if you talk about her Sexuality.

With Infinite Crisis coming to an end, and 52 about to begin, one of the major news stories in 2006 was the introduction of a new Batwoman after the last one died in 1979. The fact that this character was going to be the new Batwoman was news enough in and of itself, but the big reason why this became a major news story was the announcement that this character was going to be a Lesbian, which wouldn’t had made her the first one ever in Comic Books, but definitely the most high profile, due to the franchise she was a part of. In fact, she was so high profile that the general media outlets considered her a news story before the first Comic she was to be a part of was released, with one article called her a “Buxom, Lipstick, Lesbian”, the kind of thing DC was trying to avoid. After that article, it seemed like the plans to integrate her at a slower pace, became a crawl, as plans for her to get own Series fizzled out. In 2009, however she would get the opportunity to headline DC’s longest running book in Detective Comics. A run that was so successful, that her run in that book was shortened, so she can get her own title. Something that seemed in danger for a couple of weeks after Greg Rucka left DC. Then it was announced that a team consisting of J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder would be the main creative force for the new book. While most people were relieved that Kate was still getting her share of the spotlight, there were still the question of how Rucka’s albescence would affect things from here on out. On the heels of that question comes Batwoman #0. How does this preview stand up in the midst of amazing hype? Let’s go into the details.

When the Elegy Storyline was being published, the overwhelming concensious was that the book was carried by the amazing art of J.H. Williams III, with not too many people paying attention to the writing that the book sported, with some people calling it just a hair above average. However, this reviewer always though that while it took the writing a bit of time to match the quality of the art, it was definitely no slouch from the first page on (especially once you take in the fact, that Rucka helped to layout the scenes from his writing), especially by the end of the arc where the writing had equaled, or even exceeded the quality of the art at some points. Sadly, it took his departure for some people to realize how much Greg contributed to the package. Even with his full support, there was some doubt that the new team would be able to match the quality he gave his work. I am happy to say that was a fear that might not have been warranted. J.H. Williams, along with Haden Blackman show us immediately that they have a pulse for not only writing Kate Kane, but for handling a multi-faceted storyline. For those of you who have read Elegy, Kate’s father served as her rock to keep her grounded in a world you can easily get consumed by your endless need for justice. However, a revelation at the end of the storyline broke their alliance apart, not only severing a solid relationship, but pushing her in a position where she can be even more influenced by what used to make Bruce the Island amongst himself. I would not be surprised if both philosophies are constantly battling each other during the series, itself.

When it comes to the art, J.H. Williams III has had people much more eloquent than myself, who have given him praise that would exceed my own. So I will not waste too much time singing his deserved praises for the 1.6 millionth time. However, I want to focus in on the newest members of the team (seemingly) in Amy Reeder and Richard Friend. Amy Reeder made herself a name on the Madame Xanadu series (RIP), and Dan Didio in one of his few smart moves (in my eyes, anyway), has given her an exclusive contract and Co-Art Duties on this upcoming series, and once you see the Kate Sequence in this book, you’ll see the reason why. Ms. Reeder doesn’t waste any time in not just continuing to establish the style that J.H. Williams established in Elegy, but to even add her own spin, as its business as usual with her high quality and detail drawings. What impresses me the most about this is that she shows her diversity, as this art is Worlds Apart from her Madame Xanadu take, which is the true sign of a great artist. With that said, however, part of her success definitely has to be contributed to her Inker in Richard Friend, who is simply a master at what he does, as his perfect use of said Ink helps to define Kate and the World around her. Finally, props need to be given to Dave Stewart who provides the final piece to make this art the masterpiece that it is, and that’s the color itself, continuing his amazing work from Elegy. Even if some might say that the art falls behind a step (something I have to agree with), it’s still so damn good that the team deserves its’ props.

Despite the very solid positives, this book does possess some negatives that sadly cannot be ignored when analyzing this book from an unbiased perspective. The first of these drawbacks, and the one that sticks out the most has to be the length of the book, or the shorten length, thereof. Batwoman #0 only clocks in at 16 Pages of story with a 4 Page Preview for Batwoman #1, equaling the 20 Pages that all DC books will end up being come January 2011. This issue also hits home, due to the fact that this book was Solicited for $3.99 until the week it was supposed to come out. Had it been released for that price, my view of this would’ve been much harsher. As it stands, the biggest negative within that was I felt that the story ended too soon. As for the story itself, not much happened due to Batwoman #0 being a primer for the curious. To its credit, it serves that master well, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable for those who bought her 9-Issue Detective Run to feel a little bit underwhelmed due to the exposition that this story was based upon. Still, even with those 2 missteps, you’re still getting a book that’s crafted extremely well, with very good writing and amazing art. Something that gives this reviewer high hopes for the future to come.

The Verdict

Story - 7.75 (Due to the Length and the understandable non-progression of the story.)Art - 9.75 (I can’t wait to see what this team does with a full length book.)Accessibility - 8.5 (Serves as a great primer, but can leave established fans feeling kind of flat.)

Staff Writer

Trapped at a crossroads, what does the future hold for the most controversial Superhero today? If one thing is for certain, that future will be damn interesting!

For her short lifetime, Kate Kane has accomplished something that most characters take decades to do, and that’s having the ability to get people to talk about her whenever she is mentioned. In an industry that can sometimes be far too Oligopolistic for its own good, coupled by a dwindling fan base that is more closed minded to new things than it has ever been, new characters (and even different takes on older ones) sometimes have an impossible mountain to climb in even gaining acceptance. The outlook becomes even bleaker when one takes a look at recent sales charts and reads forums to gain a pulse about the thoughts and buying trends of the current fan base. When you take all of that into account, the current Batwoman has done something pretty cool by transcending the odds and actually not just gaining a decent following, but enough social penetration to have people talk about her whenever she’s bought up in discussion. However, if there was ever a character who ever fell into the saying “Talk to a thousand people, and you will get a thousand different opinions”, it would be Kate Kane for a number of reasons, especially if you talk about her Sexuality.

With Infinite Crisis coming to an end, and 52 about to begin, one of the major news stories in 2006 was the introduction of a new Batwoman after the last one died in 1979. The fact that this character was going to be the new Batwoman was news enough in and of itself, but the big reason why this became a major news story was the announcement that this character was going to be a Lesbian, which wouldn’t had made her the first one ever in Comic Books, but definitely the most high profile, due to the franchise she was a part of. In fact, she was so high profile that the general media outlets considered her a news story before the first Comic she was to be a part of was released, with one article called her a “Buxom, Lipstick, Lesbian”, the kind of thing DC was trying to avoid. After that article, it seemed like the plans to integrate her at a slower pace, became a crawl, as plans for her to get own Series fizzled out. In 2009, however she would get the opportunity to headline DC’s longest running book in Detective Comics. A run that was so successful, that her run in that book was shortened, so she can get her own title. Something that seemed in danger for a couple of weeks after Greg Rucka left DC. Then it was announced that a team consisting of J.H. Williams III, W. Haden Blackman and Amy Reeder would be the main creative force for the new book. While most people were relieved that Kate was still getting her share of the spotlight, there were still the question of how Rucka’s albescence would affect things from here on out. On the heels of that question comes Batwoman #0. How does this preview stand up in the midst of amazing hype? Let’s go into the details.

When the Elegy Storyline was being published, the overwhelming concensious was that the book was carried by the amazing art of J.H. Williams III, with not too many people paying attention to the writing that the book sported, with some people calling it just a hair above average. However, this reviewer always though that while it took the writing a bit of time to match the quality of the art, it was definitely no slouch from the first page on (especially once you take in the fact, that Rucka helped to layout the scenes from his writing), especially by the end of the arc where the writing had equaled, or even exceeded the quality of the art at some points. Sadly, it took his departure for some people to realize how much Greg contributed to the package. Even with his full support, there was some doubt that the new team would be able to match the quality he gave his work. I am happy to say that was a fear that might not have been warranted. J.H. Williams, along with Haden Blackman show us immediately that they have a pulse for not only writing Kate Kane, but for handling a multi-faceted storyline. For those of you who have read Elegy, Kate’s father served as her rock to keep her grounded in a world you can easily get consumed by your endless need for justice. However, a revelation at the end of the storyline broke their alliance apart, not only severing a solid relationship, but pushing her in a position where she can be even more influenced by what used to make Bruce the Island amongst himself. I would not be surprised if both philosophies are constantly battling each other during the series, itself.

When it comes to the art, J.H. Williams III has had people much more eloquent than myself, who have given him praise that would exceed my own. So I will not waste too much time singing his deserved praises for the 1.6 millionth time. However, I want to focus in on the newest members of the team (seemingly) in Amy Reeder and Richard Friend. Amy Reeder made herself a name on the Madame Xanadu series (RIP), and Dan Didio in one of his few smart moves (in my eyes, anyway), has given her an exclusive contract and Co-Art Duties on this upcoming series, and once you see the Kate Sequence in this book, you’ll see the reason why. Ms. Reeder doesn’t waste any time in not just continuing to establish the style that J.H. Williams established in Elegy, but to even add her own spin, as its business as usual with her high quality and detail drawings. What impresses me the most about this is that she shows her diversity, as this art is Worlds Apart from her Madame Xanadu take, which is the true sign of a great artist. With that said, however, part of her success definitely has to be contributed to her Inker in Richard Friend, who is simply a master at what he does, as his perfect use of said Ink helps to define Kate and the World around her. Finally, props need to be given to Dave Stewart who provides the final piece to make this art the masterpiece that it is, and that’s the color itself, continuing his amazing work from Elegy. Even if some might say that the art falls behind a step (something I have to agree with), it’s still so damn good that the team deserves its’ props.

Despite the very solid positives, this book does possess some negatives that sadly cannot be ignored when analyzing this book from an unbiased perspective. The first of these drawbacks, and the one that sticks out the most has to be the length of the book, or the shorten length, thereof. Batwoman #0 only clocks in at 16 Pages of story with a 4 Page Preview for Batwoman #1, equaling the 20 Pages that all DC books will end up being come January 2011. This issue also hits home, due to the fact that this book was Solicited for $3.99 until the week it was supposed to come out. Had it been released for that price, my view of this would’ve been much harsher. As it stands, the biggest negative within that was I felt that the story ended too soon. As for the story itself, not much happened due to Batwoman #0 being a primer for the curious. To its credit, it serves that master well, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable for those who bought her 9-Issue Detective Run to feel a little bit underwhelmed due to the exposition that this story was based upon. Still, even with those 2 missteps, you’re still getting a book that’s crafted extremely well, with very good writing and amazing art. Something that gives this reviewer high hopes for the future to come.

The Verdict

Story - 7.75 (Due to the Length and the understandable non-progression of the story.)Art - 9.75 (I can’t wait to see what this team does with a full length book.)Accessibility - 8.5 (Serves as a great primer, but can leave established fans feeling kind of flat.)

Wrasslin' Fan

I loved the dual narration running through this issue, its a story telling gimmick that I've always felt to be fun to read. It was quite effective this issue in getting across just who Kate Kane is, both as herself and as Batwoman. I don't think I'd buy this series on a regular basis, but as a one issue one time thing, it was fine. I did think that being only 16 pages in length that it was a little short and that hurts it a little bit, but its not a major complaint.

Wrasslin' Fan

I loved the dual narration running through this issue, its a story telling gimmick that I've always felt to be fun to read. It was quite effective this issue in getting across just who Kate Kane is, both as herself and as Batwoman. I don't think I'd buy this series on a regular basis, but as a one issue one time thing, it was fine. I did think that being only 16 pages in length that it was a little short and that hurts it a little bit, but its not a major complaint.